The size of wireless terminals has been decreasing with many contemporary wireless terminals being less than 11 centimeters in length. Correspondingly, there is increasing interest in small antennas that can be utilized as internally mounted antennas for wireless terminals. Inverted-F antennas, for example, may be well suited for use within the confines of wireless terminals, particularly wireless terminals undergoing miniaturization. Typically, conventional inverted-F antennas include a conductive element that is maintained in a spaced apart relationship with a ground plane. Exemplary inverted-F antennas are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,538,604 and 6,380,905, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
Furthermore, it may be desirable for a wireless terminal to operate within multiple frequency bands in order to utilize more than one communications system. For example, Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) is a digital mobile telephone system that typically operates at a low frequency band, such as between 880 MHz and 960 MHz. A Digital Communications System (DCS) is a digital mobile telephone system that typically operates at high frequency bands, such as between 1710 MHz and 1880 MHz. In addition, global positioning systems (GPS) or Bluetooth systems use frequencies of 1.575 or 2.4-2.48 GHz. The frequency bands allocated for mobile terminals in North America include 824-894 MHz for Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) and 1850-1990 MHz for Personal Communication Services (PCS). Other frequency bands are used in other jurisdictions.
Accordingly, the wireless devices may use antennas configured for operation within multiple frequency bands. Despite the above, certain users may prefer devices with external antennas rather than internal antennas. Accordingly, there remains a need to provide cost-effective alternative antenna configurations that can reflect a user's preference.